Tainan's Lin Department Store: Reviving the Glamour of Japanese Colonial-Era Architecture

By the MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Team – Compiled and Reported

Tainan’s iconic historical building “Lin Department Store,” once the second department store in Taiwan, was reborn after undergoing restoration in mid-2013 and reopened on June 14, 2014. It is now managed by “Gaoqing Fashion Co., Ltd.,” a cultural and creative enterprise invested in by Gaoqing Development. Gaoqing also operates Focus Square, a popular fashion destination among Tainan’s youth. The Lin Department Store represents a new chapter for Gaoqing Fashion Co., Ltd. in fostering local culture and developing the cultural and creative industry. It is also part of Tainan’s broader urban development initiative, integrating fresh visions with local characteristics and talent to create a new cultural gateway for the city and a new platform for cultural and creative consumption.

Locally known as “Goá-chàn-lâu-á” (Five-Story Building), Lin Department Store was invested in by Japanese businessman Lin Fangyi.On the opening day, his granddaughter-in-law, Ms. Lin Qianhuizi, then 93 years old, traveled from Japan to attend the ceremony and personally experience the charm of the building. The grandson of the building’s architect, Umezawa Setsujiro, was also present at the reopening event. Additionally, former employees of the Lin Department Store joined in to reminisce about the past, creating a deeply touching atmosphere.

The Lin Department Store building was the largest in the Shimaguchi “Shop-Residence Rapid Construction Association” row houses and stood out as a six-story structure—extremely tall for its time. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on August 30, 1931 (Showa 6), with construction officially starting on December 14 of the same year. The design was led by Umezawa Setsujiro, who was then both the Tainan Prefecture Local Engineer and Head of the Tainan Prefecture Branch of the Taiwan Architecture Association, while construction was overseen by Tamura Sakutaro. The entire project was completed in less than a year.

The interior facilities were quite modern and eye-catching for their time. The department store featured an elevator (known locally in Taiwanese as “liû-lâng”), hand-cranked metal rolling shutters, and the rooftop still houses the shrine “Suiguang Shrine,” which was established by the Lin Department Store in 1933.